


Holiday Plans

by Rod



Series: Parallel Lines [27]
Category: Veritas: The Quest
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rod/pseuds/Rod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nikko has a plan. Cal won't know what's hit him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holiday Plans

Nikko's been thinking about what Vincent said, about how his great mature, self-sacrificing gesture of pushing Cal away might have only made things worse. Not that Vincent knew the details or anything, otherwise there would have been entirely other things said, but that's the gist of it. It's been bugging the hell out of him, truth be told, because he has to admit that there's something to it. Just because he put Cal firmly off limits hasn't meant that he's been able to get Cal out of his head.

This, he's convinced, is more proof that life sucks. Nikko really thought that he was doing the right thing, that he'd learned. He'd thought that being adult, taking this whole crazy life of his seriously, meant that he had to not have Cal so that Veritas could have him instead.

Then along came Vincent to tell him that not only didn't he need to have been so miserable for the last few weeks, but that he might actually have made matters worse for the team. As far as Nikko was concerned, that's the very definition of suckage.

There were a whole slew of reasons why Nikko didn't want to believe it, but he knew better than to dismiss anything Vincent said out of hand. So he watched. Carefully, because not only did he not want Cal to notice, but also there was no way in hell he ever wanted Vincent to catch even a sniff that Cal was the one on his mind.

The results of his watching, the fruits of way too much time spent trying to get into Calvin Banks's head? That Vincent's right. Cal isn't giving a hundred percent, which given how much he believes in the foundation says a lot. He's edgy whenever he notices Nikko's around. He doesn't say anything much, except to pass on his results or argue a theory around the block. And they haven't done anything about his telekinesis or Cal's sensitivity since that night. Cal's still brilliant, but it's not the same; that focus isn't as sharp and awe-inspiring as Nikko remembers it.

So faced with the evidence that his proudest piece of self-denial was completely pointless, Nikko does what any self-respecting teenager would do; he sulks. Then, being Nikko after all, he plans. Because for the good of the team, he has to get it through Cal's thick skull that trying to pretend he doesn't want Nikko isn't going to work.

Or, when he's not trying to pretend this is all completely altruistic, because Nikko just wants to get into bed with Cal and never come out again.

So here he is, standing in front of his dad, negotiating a vacation like the whiny teenager he isn't. "C'mon, Dad. If I was in a regular school I could be breaking up before Christmas now."

Solomon Zond is unmoved. "If you were in regular school, you wouldn't have gone to Germany last week," he says.

"And if I hadn't gone to Germany, I wouldn't have been able to distract Dorna so that you could pick up Charlemagne's Ring without them knowing."

"And you wouldn't have needed rescuing yourself," Vincent comments.

Nikko glares at him. "You aren't helping," he says pointedly.

"Oh sorry, was I supposed to help?"

Turning his attention back to his father, Nikko embarks on the second strand of his argument. "My grades are all good, just ask Juliet." They'd damn well better be, given how much effort he's put into them in the last week.

His dad looks at Juliet, who nods rather off-handedly. "He's even been behaving himself," she says, only she says it like it's a surprise. Nikko looks offended at her, which just gets him a smile.

"You've been planning this, haven't you?" Solomon asks him.

Nikko doesn't bother denying it, confident that his father won't figure out exactly what he's been planning. Instead he plays his third card. "They had two feet of snow fall yesterday," he says, letting a whine creep into his voice. "Two feet of brand new powder. Just think of it." He waits until he sees his father realise that Nikko will go on and on about this before adding, "Please, Dad? It's not like I got to finish my last skiing holiday."

"I know I'm going to regret this," Solomon says.

"Yes!" Nikko can't stop himself punching the air, but his dad's probably expecting something like that. Then he puts into place the single most important bit of his strategy, the one that he spent hours thinking through. He turns and gives Juliet a huge grin.

His dad sees this, thinks for possibly as much as a second, then interrupts anything that Nikko might have been about to say. "Cal can go with you," he says.

This time Nikko does clamp right down on his jubilation. "Dad!" he says, trying his best to look outraged.

"There'll be no arguments about this, Nikko," his father says. "Cal's going with you, and that's final. God knows he's earned it."

"Earned what?" asks Cal, wandering into the room.

"A holiday," Solomon says brightly.

"You're supposed to be keeping me in line," Nikko says sulkily. Inwardly he's crowing.

"What? No, no, no, you can't do this to me, Dr Zond," Cal says, sounding mildly panicked. Nikko's not surprised, but he knows his father well enough to know that it won't do Cal any good. "I've got work backed up. Maggie needs me to run more analysis on the Sphere, and I'm finally getting somewhere with the translation matrix."

"They can wait," Solomon tells him. "You're pushing yourself too hard, Cal, you need some time off. I want you to take this holiday, forget all about Veritas for a week, and come back recharged and ready to go. OK?"

Cal looks hesitant. "They had two feet of snow fall yesterday," Solomon says persuasively, and Nikko can't help but roll his eyes.

Even Cal can see by this time that Solomon isn't going to take 'no' for an answer, and Nikko isn't surprised when he eventually mutters a grudging "OK."

"And see if you can't teach Nikko how to budget this time."

Nikko makes some incoherent spluttering noises as his father turns and walks out of the room, but damn, he's good. He's just pulled off a major parental manipulation in front of nearly the whole team and got away with it. He's getting exactly what he wanted, and no one is any the wiser.

That warm glow of satisfaction lasts right up until Vincent claps him on the shoulder and whispers, "Nicely done, he doesn't suspect a thing."


End file.
